Finn McNally

I'm a journalist and photographer working as a community reporter in Leadville, Colorado. This portfolio shows a sample of the work that I've done so far in my professional career, both as a writer and a photographer.

My Recent Work

The Leadville Herald Democrat •

BOCC voices opposition to unfunded mandates

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) submitted a letter on Aug. 20 to the Colorado General Assembly voicing their opposition to the unfunded state mandates and asking that the legislature take rural communities like Lake County into consideration when passing laws.BOCC discussed its letter during a work session on Aug. 13. The board discussed how laws passed by the state often require resources from local governments but do not always come with funds available to meet those requirements.“It’...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

Lake County schools go into lockdown on first day

After an off-campus altercation between two Lake County High School students, all of the Lake County school went into a brief lockdown on the first day of school. During the altercation, one student suffered a nonfatal gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital but has since been released.On the morning of Aug. 11, two students got into a fight at Lake County High School. Both students were suspended and sent home for the day. At midday, there was another altercation between the two students. T...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

Feds withholding education funding

The U.S. Department of Education announced on June 30 that it is withholding $6.8 billion in  federal funding for K-12 schools in America. The $450,000 that Lake County School District was meant to receive from that funding would go towards Project Dream and English-language development.The withheld funding was approved in 2025 and is not part of this year’s budget talks. The Department of Education stated that it wants to ensure that all funds are being used in accordance with President Donald...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

The Irish of Leadville: Looking back at the mining strikes in the 1880s

In the mid-nineteenth century, Ireland suffered from an event known as the Great Hunger or the Potato Famine. Ireland at the time was an imperial property of the British Empire and the majority of the crops grown in Ireland were exported to England. The potato was the primary crop that the Irish could grow for themselves. When the potato crop suffered a blight, many Irish starved or were unable to pay rent to their British landlords. This led to mass evictions from the land as well as mass emigr...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

MEWA locates and stops major leak

The Mount Elbert Water Association (MEWA) recently located a leak in their water system that has been nearly tripling the system’s water usage. MEWA leadership stated that it is possible there are other leaks, but they will not know until the first is repaired. This situation is ongoing and the information in this article is accurate as of Tuesday, March 11.MEWA is a non-profit entity that manages the water supply for the Pan-Ark Estates neighborhood in Twin Lakes. MEWA has three ground water pu...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

Meet The Queen of Harrison Avenue

A hot pink jacket stands out on Harrison Avenue as its wearer flies down the snow-covered street on her way to winning Best Rider at the 77th Annual Leadville Ski Joring. The victory marks the 11th time that Savannah McCarthy has won the award in her 13 years of competing, a career that has earned her the nickname, “The Queen of Harrison Avenue.”Growing up in Durango, Colorado, McCarthy began riding horses as soon as she was old enough to sit up on her own. Her parents took her to Silverton Skij...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

DWR working on plan to temporarily restore flow to Barn Pond

Colorado Division of Water Resources (DWR) engineer Rachel Zancarella said that she is working on a proposal to temporarily and expeditiously restore flow to Barn Pond in Twin Lakes. Zancarella said that she and DWR have not made an official determination as to whether Berrier Creek is a natural stream or a man-made ditch. The distinction is crucial as a natural stream cannot be altered without decree regardless of water rights.
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

The veteran, the professional, the legend

Hours before Leadville Ski Joring 2024 began, Jerry Kissell was walking up and down the course. As he paced, he checked which parts of the course were slick, how high the jumps were and where the rings were placed.Kissell was the skier for the first run of the weekend. He made sure he knew the course well. He thought over how his first run would go and every move he would make.“My goal for this first run is to be smart, clean and set a standard,” Kissell said. He pointed to a ring placed directl...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

Men’s basketball defeats KIPP Denver Collegiate

The Lake County High School men’s basketball team beat KIPP Denver Collegiate High School 52-41 on Friday, Feb. 9.Lake County is now 11-7 this season and their win streak has been extended to five. They are 5-1 in league play and rank second in the 3A Frontier League. It was the Panthers’ final home game of the regular season and their senior night. Head coach Isaac Martinez started the game with all four of his seniors on the court, David Soto, Ivan Liewer, James Medina and Damon Cox.The game q...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

The Lake County Wars: A tale of turmoil and vigilantism in the Wild West

Back in 1874, before Colorado was a state, Lake County extended much further south and encompassed towns like Granite, Nathrop and Salida. The south end of Lake County attracted ranchers and farmers and the population grew rapidly during the late 1800s. The growth caused tension and disputes over land and water rights that boiled over into the period of fear and violence known as the Lake County Wars. On June 16, 1874, rancher Elijah Gibbs and his hired hand Stewart McClish got into an argument...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

BOCC extends OHV moratorium until Feb. 20

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted on Nov. 30 to extend the moratorium on commercial off-highway vehicles (OHV) licenses until Feb. 20.The moratorium was put in place on Feb. 7, 2023 to give Lake County Community Planning and Development (CPD) time to make recommendations for an update to the county’s OHV ordinance. The county had received complaints about OHV use on county roads causing overcrowding and trail damage. OHVs include ATVs, dirt bikes and snowmobiles. Commiss...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

LCHS women's volleyball is undefeated

The Lake County High School volleyball team won all three of their games in the final week of September, improving their record to 13-0 on the season.In their 13 games they've won 35 sets and only lost two. They are 7-0 in league play and are first in the 3A/2A Frontier League. As of Sept. 28, Maxpreps has them ranked as the fifth best 2A team in the state of Colorado. Head coach Sean Sprague said this is the best team he’s coached in his 28 years of coaching.“Everyone has bought into their role...
The Leadville Herald Democrat •

Eagles Nest asbestos cleanup in progress

Eagles Nest Apartments has begun the process of cleaning up an asbestos spill that occurred last summer.The spill was discovered on July 28, 2022 by a Colorado Air Pollution Control Division employee on a routine compliance inspection. The employee found that tiles containing asbestos had been removed from the exterior of the buildings when new balconies were being installed, requiring Eagles Nest to bring in an asbestos consulting firm, All Clear Environmental Consulting, to assess the risk.All...
Iowa State Daily •

Three Big Takeaways: Cyclone Swim and Dive takes down South Dakota State

The Cyclones won big in their first home meet, outscoring the Jackrabbits 185-100. Coming off a close loss last week to Nebraska in their first meet, the Cyclones picked up their first win of the season on Saturday.

The Cyclones improved their performance from their loss against Nebraska. Their Cardinal and Gold exhibition meet was canceled due to pool maintenance, and coach Duane Sorensen believes that had a big impact on their first meet.

“You always learn from first meet to second meet, all...
Iowa State Daily •

A rundown of redistricting in Iowa

As the redistricting process occurs across the country, Iowa and California remain the only states to allow independent committees to draw election boundaries.
Redistricting takes place every 10 years in line with the census. Those districts will determine which counties are within which congressional districts. 
Under the proposed maps, Story county will switch from the 4th congressional district to the 2nd. The 1st, 2nd and 4th congressional districts remained the same in terms of registered v...